Introduction: The objectives of this study were: 1) to determine the amniotic fluid (AF) microbiology of patients with the diagnosis of clinical chorioamnionitis at term using both cultivation and molecular techniques; and 2) to examine the relationship between intra-amniotic inflammation with and without microorganisms and placental lesions consistent with acute AF infection. Methods: The AF s...

background multiple sclerosis (ms) is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (cns). ms is one of the most common cause of neurological impairment at a young age with a complex etiology. the forkhead/winged helix (foxp3) gene encodes a transcription factor that plays an important role in the working and progress of regulatory t cells. loss of the foxp3 function impairs the...

PCR coupled with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (PCR-ESI-MS) is a novel technology that has recently been used to identify pathogens from clinical specimens or after culture within about 6 h. We evaluated the MDR-TB (multidrug-resistant tuberculosis) assay, which uses PCR-ESI-MS for detection and identification of Mycobacterium spp. and Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTBC) resis...

Initial antimicrobial treatment of patients with deep seated or invasive infections is typically empiric. Usually, cultures of specimens obtained from the suspected source of infection are performed to identify pathogens and guide continued antimicrobial treatment. When patients present with signs and symptoms of infection, but sterile body fluid or tissue specimens cannot be obtained in a time...

Aberrant hypo-methylation of DNA is evident in a range of human diseases including cancer and diabetes. Development of sensitive assays capable of detecting traces of un-methylated DNA within methylated samples can be useful in several situations. Here we describe a new approach, fast-COLD-MS-PCR, which amplifies preferentially un-methylated DNA sequences. By employing an appropriate denaturati...

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to degeneration of the brain and spinal tissue. Imbalances of CD4+ T cells including Thelper1 (Th1)/Thelper2 (Th2) and Thelper17 (Th17)/Tregulatory (Treg), their secreted cytokines and gene expressions, are important aspects of in immunopathogenesis of MS. Vitamin A and its metabolites can regulate the immune system and appear...